CHAP. XIV.] AND RELIGION. 433 



ence between the sober, sedate, friendly man 

 who preaches to one of these congregations, 

 and the greedy, chattering, lying, backbiting, 

 mischief-making, everlasting plague, that you 

 go to hear, and are compelled to hear, or stay 

 away from the church. Baker always puts me 

 in mind of the Magpie. 



The Magpie, bird of chatt'ring fame, 

 Whose tongue and hue bespeak his name ; 

 The first a squalling clam'rous clack, 

 The last made up of white and black ; 

 Feeder alike onjlcsh and corn, 

 Greedy alike at eve and morn ; 

 Of all the birds the prying pest, 

 Must needs be Parson o'er the rest. 



448. Thus I began a fable, when I lived at 

 Botley. I have forgotten the rest of it. It will 

 please you to hear that there are no Magpies in 

 America ; but, it will please you still more to 

 hear, that no men that resemble them are par 

 sons here. 1 have sometimes been half tempted 

 to believe, that the Magpie first suggested to 

 tyrants the idea of having a tithe-eating Clergy. 

 The Magpie devours the corn and grain ; so 

 does the Parson. The Magpie takes the wool 

 from the sheep's bsks; so does the Parson. 

 The Magpie devours alike the young animals 

 and the eggs ; so does the Parson. The Mag 

 pie's clack is everlastingly going ; so is the 



